1. Field of Use
This disclosure is generally directed to inkjet transfix apparatuses and methods. In particular, disclosed herein is a method and composition that improves the anti-contaminant properties and the thermal stability of transfix blankets.
2. Background
Inkjet systems in which a liquid or melt solid ink is discharged through an ink discharge port such as a nozzle, a slit and a porous film are used in many printers due to their characteristics such as small size and low cost. In addition, an inkjet printer can print not only on paper substrates, but also on various other substrates such as textiles, rubber and the like.
During the printing process, various intermediate media (e.g., transfer belts, intermediate blankets or drums) may be used to transfer the formed image to the final substrate. In intermediate transfix processes, aqueous latex ink is inkjetted onto an intermediate blanket where the ink film is dried with heat. The dried image is subsequently transfixed on to the final paper substrate. For this process to properly operate, the intermediate blanket has to satisfy two conflicting requirements—the first requirement is that ink has to spread well on the blanket and the second requirement is that, after drying, the ink should release from the blanket.
In addition, blanket must possess thermal stability and moderate wettability yet still exhibit non-stick or anti-contaminant properties.
Thus, there is a need for a way to provide a blanket that has the desired spreading and release properties for aqueous inks, while providing thermal stability and anti-contaminant properties to address the above problems faced in transfix process.